After years of buying camo that faded the next year I only buy leaf suits.Then I can wear anything I want underneath it.I have a mossy oak two sizes to big and I can wear a tee shirt and shorts if it's to hot to long johns coats and all the winter gear I need.The only other camo I buy is a brown or black shirt and pants.So far it's lasted me for years and well worth the price.

I just buy what is on sale, and you can get some good bargains after hunting season is over to lay up for next year. I use a couple of Realtree and Mossy Oak patterns that match the local vegetation.

One matches the early season when the leaves are still up, I also use it for Turkey in the Spring. The other is better for late season as it matches bare branches. I agree that not having an obvious outline is the best camo- I used to hunt in NY with a plain red Woolrich coat as my outerwear, I would sit against a blowdown and not be spotted.

When I use my ground blind, the interior is flat black, so I wear a black pullover and watch cap, wearing other camo would actually enhance my outline.

But seriously folks. I was reading back over this thread this morning, and something hit me. I've been monitoring hunting forums and threads since 1981 (way back in the BBS days with 300 baud dial-up.) Truth is we've changed a lot. Back when the economy was booming and everyone had discretionary cash we all sounded like a bunch of Jackie Kennedy wannabes monitoring the Paris fashion scene. Now that most of us are pinching pennies, sense has returned.

I always was kind of on the outside of that scene, because I deliberately took on deer hunting as a budget sport. Especially in the early years, I was trying to be successful at deer hunting without spending a whole lot of money on it. However, I can remember feeling proud of my first set of Trebark duds, and I would have sworn my Kelly Cooper Tru-Leaf (on closeout from Gander Mountain) gave me the winning edge in the woods.

When you look back, though, camo, scent-proofing-- pick your gimmick-- they all seem to get a start in a basic need of hunters. They all seem to make sense, and as long as you're not really concentrating on the logic behind it, it all kind of makes sense. To help things along, you have guys who are "Experts" on the subject to educate you, ads to sway you, magazine articles to convince you. It really is all there to suck you in. Honest.

I was at Field &Stream the other day ( the store, not the magazine) and I saw camo that looked like it belonged more on a woman's skirt or blouse. It had a heafty price tag too. It reminded of me of all the times I've been in fabric stores shopping for camo fabric. I used to get some bargains on camo remnants. That pic of me in the poncho-- that came from Hancock Fabrics. Now most of it is as pricey as buying the duds themselves. Anyhow, I'd be over in the bargain bin, and I'd come across some lady's floral pattern and think "This would make a good pattern for turkey hunting!" Then I'd catch myself. There's a thin line there between being a cost-conscious hunter and a cross-dresser. I did not want to cross that one. I started to get that same feeling looking at that over-priced camo on F&S's rack. Moose's woman, MooseMama, keeps talking about getting married in a camo wedding dress-- white winter camo. Guys, when the chicks start going to prom in your favorite camo or get married in it, you know there's something . . . wrong. Know what I mean?

Does it make the deer easier or harder to shoot, when they are rolling on the ground, laughing at your hunting outfits? I would think the odd angle, and the convulsive twitching might cause a miss. Though I can see a longer window of shooting time as a result. Have you considered dispatching them with a club, like baby seals? It would save the cost of the bullet.

The only real difference between a good tracker and a bad tracker is observation. All the same data is present for both. The rest is understanding what you are seeing.

Yep.I'd invest more in quality wicking type undergarments/base layer. Good stuff. Then as mentioned wool is fine, fine stuff in cold weather.I wouldn't be hunting in cotton in cold weather if possible.

If your hunting down my way....then don't go with the wool

I have mosquito shirt and pants (yes in camo) not a mosquito suit (those things are BRUTAL). The pants are def not hot. The shirt is LS, but I tolerate the discomfort.There are so many studies on patterns, camo, colors etc. I guess you could find a mosquito pant and suit not in camo somewhere, for a few dollars cheaper perhaps, if your against camo, but hey, if it raises your game mentally, makes you feel invisible to the deer.............go for it. Nothing wrong with it IMHO.

"Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you'll be able to see farther."